This beautiful Sunday, I proudly present the most impressive, almost eternal love story of princess Yasodhara and prince Siddhattha. This long and deep-rooted episode began in the time of the Buddha Dipankara. I love this story very, very much.

******************** Yasodhara: The Most Beautiful Bride [From Relatives and Disciples of the Buddha by Radhika Abeysekera (excerpts)]

Yasodhara was the daughter of King Suppabuddha and Queen Pamita. As KingSuppabuddha was one of King Suddhodana's younger brothers, she was one of PrinceSiddhattha's cousins. Yasodhara was born on the same day as Prince Siddhattha.She was exquisitely beautiful, with golden skin and blue-back hair that cascadeddown to her feet.

Prince Siddhattha was sixteen when his parents decided that it was a suitabletime for him to marry. As was the custom at that time, a great celebration washeld and princesses from all over the country were brought in procession for thePrince to choose from. None of them attracted his attention. The Prince treatedthem with gifts but refused them all. The procession was almost finished whenYasodhara came rushing in, to inquire if there were any gifts left for her. ThePrince then arose from His throne, and taking the pearl necklace that adornedhis person, gently placed it around her neck. Prince Siddhattha chose Hiscousin, Yasodhara, to be His bride.

At first King Suppabuddha was against the marriage. He knew that the wise menhad foretold that Siddhattha would leave the palace and His crown to become aBuddha. He also felt that the gentle, compassionate Prince might not be skilledin warfare, and as such, not be suitable for his daughter. The princess,however, wanted to marry no one else but Siddhattha.

King Suppabuddha, wishing to test Prince Siddhattha, arranged a tournament forHim to display His skills in archery, riding and swordsmanship. Sportsmen fromall over the country gathered to challenge the Prince. Siddhattha, however, wasan excellent sportsman. He excelled in all the events and ousted the best men inthe country. King Suppabuddha therefore relented and gave his daughter inmarriage to Prince Siddhattha.

The relationship between princess Yasodhara and prince Siddhattha was long anddeep-rooted. It had started long, long time ago at the time of the DipankaraBuddha. At that time, the Prince (Bodhisatta) was born as an ascetic by the nameof Sumedha. After an exceedingly long period of practising the ten virtues, theBodhisatta Sumedha had finally completed the eight requirements to receive thedefinite proclamation of Buddhahood from the Dipankara Buddha. Yasodhara, atthat time, was born as a noble lady by the name of Sumitra. She saw Sumedha give eight handfuls of white jasmine flowers to the Buddha Dipankara , and the Buddha Dipankara proclaimed that Sumedha would be a Buddha by the name of Gotama, of theSakyan caste, in the distant future. Cutting off her hair, she aspired to be Hisconsort and helpmate and to support Him actively in His quest for Buddhahood.This strong aspiration and the meritorious deeds that she performed over a longperiod of time resulted in her being the Bodhisatta's consort and supporter throughout many births. During this very long period in which the Bodhisatta completed the virtues she actively supported His quest for perfection.

In fact, her dying words reflected this devotion. She referred to the fact thatshe had been the wife of no other but Him during the entire period and hadhelped Him to achieve in 100,000 world cycles and four infinite periods whatother Buddhas take eight and sixteen infinite periods to achieve.

When the Buddha visited the palace in Kapilavatthu for the first time, all butPrincess Yasodhara came to pay homage to Him. She held back, thinking,"Certainly if there is any virtue in me, the Noble Lord Himself will come to mypresence." After the meal the Buddha, accompanied by His two male chiefdisciples, entered her chamber and sat down on the seat prepared for Him. Hethen said, "Let the king's daughter reverence me as she likes." On seeing theBuddha, Yasodhara came forward quickly, and clasping His ankles, placed her headon His feet and paid reverence to Him as she wished.

Yasodhara's devotion to the Buddha was heralded by her father-in-law, KingSuddhodana. He informed the Buddha of her devotion by saying, "When my daughterheard that you had taken to wearing simple yellow robes, she too gave up herjewels and wore yellow robes. When she heard that you had only one meal a day,she too had only one meal a day. When she heard that you slept on low, hardbeds, she too gave up the luxurious palace couches and beds. And when she heardthat you had given up garlands and perfume, she too gave up garlands andperfume. When her relatives sent messages of young men who wanted to support hershe did not even look at a single one."

The Buddha acknowledged this devotion by saying that it was not only in thisbirth that she had been devoted to him. And the Blessed One spoke kindly to Yasodhara, telling of her great merits inherited from former lives. She had indeed been again and again of great assistance to him. Her purity, her gentleness, her devotion had been invaluable to the Bodhisattva when he aspired to attain enlightenment, the highest aim of mankind. And so holy had she been that she desired to become the wife of a Buddha. This, then, was her karma, and it was the result of great merits. Her grief had been unspeakable, but the consciousness of the glory that surrounded her spiritual inheritance increased by her noble attitude during her life, would be a balm that will miraculously transform all sorrows into heavenly joy.

Yasodhara gave up the household life and entered the order of bhikkhunis at thesame time as Maha Pajapati Gotami .She attained Arahanthship and was declaredthe chief disciple among the theris who attained supernormal powers(mahaa-abhi~n~naa) to recall infinite eras of the past (mahaabhi~n~naappattaana.m). She was one of the fourdisciples of the Buddha who possessed such attainment, the others being Sáriputta, Moggallána and Bakkula. She expressed her desire for this achievement in the time of Padumuttara Buddha.----------------------- NOTE: In general, the Buddha's disciples could only recall up to 100,000 worldcycles. Yasodara, the Buddha's two chief male disciples and the Elder Bakkula,however, had supernormal powers and could recall incalculable eras. TheYasodhara Theri passed away at the age of 78, prior to the Lord Buddha.-------------She joined the Order under Pajápatí Gotamí in the company of Janapadakalyání (Nandá), and in the Order she was known as Bhaddakaccáná Therí. Later, she developed insight and became an arahant. She could, with one effort, recall one asankheyya and one hundred thousand kappas (AA.i.205).-----------The Apadána account mentions how, just before her death, at the age of seventy eight(two years before Buddha's Parinibbāna), she took leave of the Buddha and performed various miracles. It also states that eighteen thousand arahants bhikkhunis, companions of Yasodhará, also died on the same day.------Yasodhara was once, after becoming a bhikkhuni, ill from flatulence. When Ráhula, as was his custom, came to visit her, he was told that he could not see her, but that, when she had suffered from the same trouble at home, she had been cured by mango juice with sugar. Ráhula reported the matter to his preceptor, Sáriputta, who obtained the mango juice from Pasenadi. When Pasenadi discovered why the mango juice had been needed, he arranged that from that day it should be regularly supplied. The Játaka relates how, in a past birth too, Sáriputta had come to Ráhulamátá's rescue.

*The Supatta Játaka, where Sáriputta, at Ráhula's request, obtained for her from Pasenadi rice with ghee, flavoured with red fish. This was for abdominal pain.----------[edit] Legends [From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

In many legends of the Buddha's life, Yashodharā met Siddhārtha Gautama for the first time in a previous life,in the time of Dípankara Buddha, when the Bodhisatta was born as Sumedha, she was a brahmin maiden, Sumittá by name.

One day, while waiting in the city of Paduma for the Buddha Dipankara, Sumedha tried to buy flowers as an offering to the Enlightened One, but soon learned that the king already bought all the flowers for his own offering. Yet, as Dipankara was approaching, Sumedha spotted a girl named Sumitta holding eight lotuses in her hands. He spoke to her with the intention of buying one of her flowers, but she gave him all of the lotuses, which he, in turn, offered to the Buddha. Dípankara, in declaring that Sumedha would ultimately become the future Buddha Gautama, added that Sumittá would be his companion in several lives.-----Names: The meaning of the name Yasodhara (Sanskrit) [from yasas "glory, splendor" + dhara "bearing" from the verbal root dhri "to bear, support"] is Bearer of glory. The names she has been called besides Yashodhara are: Yashodhara Theri (doyenne Yashodhara), Bimbadevi, Bhaddakaccana and Rahulamata (mother of Rahula). In the Pali Canon, the name Yasodharā is not found; there are two references to Bhaddakaccānā.

******************* Love Buddha's dhamma,yawares/sirikanya

Last edited by yawares on Thu Jan 24, 2013 1:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.